Annual Organization Meeting and Regular Meeting Minutes: January 29, 2026
Attendance and Opening
Present: Trustees Roger Bartley, Rebecca Miller, Sarah Repella, Diane Ruff, and Brad Sayre.
Absent: Trustees Casey Milano and Richard Rutledge.
Also present: Fiscal Officer Heather Husted and Director Jason Bumbico.
Call to order, adjustments to the agenda, and public participation: None recorded.
Administering Oath to Board of Trustees
All Board members are in a current term of office. The trustee oath reads:
Do you solemnly swear (or affirm) that you will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Ohio; and that you will faithfully and impartially discharge your duties as Trustee of the Minerva Public Library in Stark County, Ohio to the best of your ability, and in accordance with the laws now in effect and hereinafter to be enacted during your term of office?
Minutes
Motion: To approve the minutes of December 19, 2025.
Moved by Brad Sayre; seconded by Rebecca Miller.
Annual Organization Meeting Business
Election of Officers for Calendar Year 2026
- President: Roger Bartley
- Vice President: Richard Rutledge
- Secretary: Casey Milano
Motion: To elect the officers listed above for 2026.
Moved by Sarah Repella; seconded by Rebecca Miller.
Appointment of Library Committee Members for Organizational Year 2026
- Building and Grounds: Brad Sayre and Casey Milano
- Finance and Audit: Roger Bartley, Sarah Repella, and Richard Rutledge
- Personnel: Sarah Repella, Diane Ruff, and Richard Rutledge
- Policy Committee: Casey Milano and Rebecca Miller
- Development Chair: Roger Bartley
Records Commission Meeting Date
The Records Commission (all seven members of the Board, the Fiscal Officer, and the Director) will meet September 24, 2026, prior to the Board meeting.
2026 Regular Meeting Calendar
Meetings will be held at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month, or the third Thursday of the month if it falls on a holiday (or otherwise as may later be scheduled by the Board). The 2026 regular meeting schedule:
- January 29
- February 26
- March 26
- April 23
- May 28
- June 25
- July 23
- August 27
- September 24
- October 22
- November 19
- December 17
A complete paper and digital copy of each month's Board packet will be kept as a permanent file copy. A digital copy of the Board packet will be available to the public prior to the monthly meeting.
Resolutions are numbered beginning with the last two digits of the year, followed by a dash and a two-digit number for the month, followed by a dash and a two-digit number for the resolution. For example, January 2026 resolutions are numbered 26-01-01, 26-01-02, 26-01-03, and so on.
Motion: To accept the monthly regular Board meeting calendar for 2026.
Moved by Brad Sayre; seconded by Sarah Repella.
Executive Session and Appointments
Executive Session
To discuss the performance evaluation of the Fiscal Officer and Library Director.
Motion: To move into executive session.
Moved by Diane Ruff; seconded by Rebecca Miller.
Entered executive session at 6:39 p.m. Roll call: Trustees Roger Bartley, Rebecca Miller, Sarah Repella, Diane Ruff, and Brad Sayre. Returned to open session at 7:03 p.m.
Library Director
Resolution 26-01-01: To hire Jason Bumbico as the Library Director of the Minerva Public Library at the salary and under the conditions stated in the employment agreement, from January 1, 2026 through the January 2027 Organization Meeting, with a service award of $2,100.00.
Moved by Diane Ruff; seconded by Brad Sayre.
Board President Bartley administered the oath of office to Director Bumbico.
Fiscal Officer
Resolution 26-01-02: To hire Heather Husted as the Fiscal Officer of the Minerva Public Library at the salary and under the conditions stated in the employment agreement, from January 1, 2026 through the January 2027 Organization Meeting, with a 3% increase in salary.
Motion and second not recorded.
Board President Bartley administered the oath of office to Fiscal Officer Husted.
Deputy Fiscal Officer
Resolution 26-01-03: To appoint Jason Bumbico Deputy Fiscal Officer effective January 1, 2026 through the January 2027 Organization Meeting.
Moved by Sarah Repella; seconded by Diane Ruff.
Board President Bartley administered the oath of office to Deputy Fiscal Officer Bumbico.
Enabling Resolutions
Resolution 26-01-04: That the Library Director be authorized to approve travel expenses in an amount not to exceed $700.00 per employee per event throughout fiscal year 2026 and continuing through the 2027 Organization Meeting, as long as said expenditures fall within the 2026 or 2027 Appropriation Resolution(s) adopted by the Board of Trustees.
Resolution 26-01-05: To authorize the Library Director to accept all monetary gifts and donations as described in Section 1.7 of the Minerva Public Library Public Services Policy Manual throughout fiscal year 2026 and continuing through the 2027 Organization Meeting. All monetary gifts of any amount will be reported to the Board of Trustees at their next monthly regular meeting.
Resolution 26-01-06: That the Library Director be authorized to accept all in-kind gifts as described in Section 1.7 of the Minerva Public Library Public Services Policy Manual throughout fiscal year 2026 and continuing through the 2027 Organization Meeting. The Board of Trustees confers upon the Director the responsibility for assessing which gifts are to be added to the Library's collection or disposed of through the donation book cart or otherwise. All individual in-kind gifts that the Director adds to the Library's collection will be reported to the Board of Trustees at their next monthly regular meeting.
Resolutions 26-01-04, 26-01-05, and 26-01-06 moved together by Rebecca Miller; seconded by Diane Ruff.
Resolution 26-01-07: That the Fiscal Officer be authorized to encumber funds and pay invoices as they are due throughout fiscal year 2026 and continuing until the 2027 Organization Meeting, as long as said bills fall within the 2026 or 2027 Appropriation Resolution(s) adopted by the Board of Trustees. All paid bills will be reported to the Board of Trustees at their next monthly regular meeting. The Fiscal Officer is also authorized to invest Library monies as legally permitted and in accordance with the Library's Investment Policy and the Depository Contracts awarded for periods inclusive of fiscal year 2026 and continuing through the 2027 Organization Meeting as approved by the Board.
Moved by Diane Ruff; seconded by Brad Sayre.
Resolution 26-01-08: That the Fiscal Officer, as authorized by law, be permitted to make transfers within the same fund and category of object account number as listed in the Chart of Accounts, and those that do not change the total appropriations of each fund (such as from 1000-100-411-0000 to 1000-100-413-0000), provided that such changes in appropriations be reported to the Board of Trustees at their next monthly regular meeting. Transfers within the same fund but different categories of object account number (such as from 1000-100-411-0000 to 1000-100-322-0000), and transfers between different funds, still require prior authorization by the Library Board of Trustees. This authority is for fiscal year 2026 and continues through the 2027 Organization Meeting.
Moved by Diane Ruff; seconded by Brad Sayre.
Resolution 26-01-09: That the Director is authorized to discard unneeded Library furniture, equipment, and materials, either by sale, gift, or appropriate disposal, during fiscal year 2026 and continuing through the 2027 Organization Meeting.
Moved by Sarah Repella; seconded by Rebecca Miller.
Resolution 26-01-10: To appoint the Library Director to act as the Compliance Officer for the Library credit card for fiscal year 2026 and through the 2027 Organization Meeting.
Moved by Rebecca Miller; seconded by Diane Ruff.
January Regular Meeting Business: Fiscal Officer's Report
Discussion: None.
Motion: To accept the monthly financial reports for December 2025 and the Fiscal Officer's Monthly Report.
Moved by Brad Sayre; seconded by Rebecca Miller.
Current Revenue
Public Library Fund (PLF) distribution: The December 2025 PLF distribution is $67,527.02, which is 15% less than the $79,483.74 received in December 2024. At the end of the year, PLF funding was 0.31% less than predicted for 2025.
2025 General Revenue Net Operating Position
For the month:
- December revenue: $72,344.80
- December expenses: $68,714.81
- Difference: $3,629.99
For the year:
- Total annual revenue: $1,012,234.69
- Total annual expenses: $1,025,404.12
- Difference: negative $13,169.43
Operating Fund Expenses as a Percentage of Appropriation, December 31, 2025
- 2025 appropriation: $1,071,706.00
- Current 2025 expenses: $1,025,404.12
- Expenses as a percentage of appropriation: 85.547%
New Business
Permanent Budget Revenue Approval
The projected 2026 total operations revenue is $810,025.00. The total projected 2026 revenue with carryover and capital is $1,900,388.89.
Resolution 26-1-11: To approve the 2026 Budget Revenue, Permanent Appropriation.
Moved by Sarah Repella; seconded by Brad Sayre.
Permanent Budget Appropriations Approval
The operating expenses for 2026 are proposed at $1,122,363.04. Total expenditure/appropriation including capital projects totals $1,257,363.04.
Resolution 25-1-12: To approve the 2026 Budget, Permanent Appropriations.
Moved by Sarah Repella; seconded by Brad Sayre.
Holiday Leave Policy
The present policy for holiday leave stipulates that leave cannot be paid if a staff member does not work the posted schedule prior to or after the designated holiday. In the service of flexibility, the revision allows holiday leave to be paid if the staff member can provide medical proof.
Resolution 25-1-13: To revise the second paragraph of Section 5.30 of the Library's Employee Handbook to read:
To be entitled to holiday pay, an employee must complete their last scheduled work day prior to the holiday and his first scheduled work day following the holiday unless the employee is on paid leave these days (i.e. if unpaid leave is used, the employee will not be entitled to holiday pay). If the employee does not complete these days, they can still be entitled to holiday pay if they provide medical proof of the reason for their absence.
Moved by Rebecca Miller; seconded by Diane Ruff.
Director's Report
Motion: To accept the monthly report from the Director included in the Board packet.
Moved by Brad Sayre; seconded by Sarah Repella.
December 2025 Library Statistics
- Circulation: 18,774, about 3.02% below the December 2024 total of 19,893.
- Door count: 4,656, up about 17% from the December 2024 total of 3,690.
Accept Financial Gifts: December 2025
Restricted individual contributions: None.
Unrestricted individual contributions to the General Fund:
- Virginia Birks: $500.00
- Miscellaneous: $89.60
- Book sale: $69.25
Total financial gifts: $658.85
In-Kind Gifts for December 2025
None.
Adjournment
Motion: To adjourn.
Moved by Rebecca Miller; seconded by Diane Ruff.
The next regular Board meeting will be in the Board Room.